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China-EU relations

China-EU relations
Breaking news, analysis and opinion on relations between China and the European Union, covering trade, investment, policy, the Belt and Road Initiative and wider issues such as the US-China trade war and human rights.
Open Questions series

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

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15
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Fuchsia Dunlop tells how she fell for China’s cuisine and names her perfect dish

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5
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

80 years on from WWII, China’s interests lie in peaceful Asia-Pacific: Mitter

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China trade war

The US-China trade war is entering a worrying new phase

The US and China are racing to roll out competing sanctions, rules and regulations, leaving firms trapped in a legal Catch-22.

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US-EU relations

Netherlands opposes US proposal to further bar chip giant ASML from China market

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US, Israel war on Iran

Global shocks push European firms in China to rethink supply chains

2026 Xi-Trump summit

‘Frogs in a well’: Chinese diplomat slams Europe’s ‘outdated’ approach to China

Foreign ministry’s European Affairs chief warns about pitfalls of protectionism, says Beijing ready to address Brussels’ concerns.

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Li Jian has urged Europe to develop greater “confidence” in China and to see the whole picture when trying to understand Chinese development. Photo: Weibo
2026 Xi-Trump summit

In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines

As Xi Jinping and Donald Trump prepare to meet in Beijing, one European diplomat says the bloc is aware ‘we have little leverage here’.

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China’s private sector

German firms in China more optimistic despite Iran war, trade headwinds: survey

Expectations for growth, profits and investment are all up, despite geopolitical turbulence.

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US-China relations

Opinion | China shouldn’t view a tired US as signifying a Europe ready to pivot

As fractures within the US’ network of alliances deepen, China’s strategic window opens a little wider, with some key caveats.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Spain

Could Spain’s ‘compliment sandwich’ approach to China work for the EU?

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s recent visit to Beijing illustrates ‘delicate equilibrium’, analyst says as others voice scepticism.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Leapmotor taps Stellantis’ Spanish plant for EU production

Hangzhou carmaker’s overseas strategy highlights how Chinese brands are leveraging idle plants to scale globally while easing trade barriers.

European Union

Opinion | China unsurprisingly puts its own interests first. Can Europe do the same?

As Beijing seeks to influence Europe, Brussels must shape on its own competitiveness agenda and policy aims for engaging with China.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Mainland China

Tall story? Sophie la Girafe, France’s national toy, revealed to be Chinese-made

The maker of Sophie la Girafe reportedly ran a ‘fake’ factory in France for years, while secretly producing the iconic toy in China.

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Sophie la Girafe, the national toy of France, is actually manufactured in China, according to an investigation by a French media outlet. Photo: Sophie la Girafe
China trade

Beijing vows action after EU cuts funding for projects using Chinese inverters

The commerce ministry warns the move will backfire on the EU, hitting its energy security and green transition.

China-EU investment deal

China-EU investment pact belongs in ‘deep freezer’: outgoing trade chief

Sabine Weyand says the 2020 agreement with China is obsolete as Brussels weighs action on ‘macroeconomic imbalances’.

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China economy

Europe readies trade war weapon amid China export deluge

The EU is devising a new tool to help fight a trade war with China even as it contends with increasing hostility from US President Donald Trump.

Photo: EPA
European Union

EU plan to rip out Chinese hardware will cost massive US$430 billion: report

Brussels’ proposed new Cybersecurity Act would require vast amounts of Chinese equipment to be ripped out and replaced in a slew of industries.

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A view of Huawei Technologies’ France headquarters near Paris. The company could face new restrictions due to a European Union plan to bar “high-risk” suppliers from critical infrastructure. Photo: Reuters
Ursula von der Leyen

Exclusive | EU sounds out industry over new trade weapon against China’s overcapacity

Brussels is polling business groups ahead of commissioners’ meeting but few details of the proposed instrument have been revealed.

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Renewable energy

Brussels bans Chinese inverters from EU-funded power projects

EU official says Brussels has identified cybersecurity and dependency risks in Chinese inverters.

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European Union

Opinion | ‘Made in Europe’ law sets stage for an economic showdown with China

The proposed legislation is seen as discriminatory to China and could also hurt Chinese interests in non-EU European states.

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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, on April 13. Photo: Reuters
Norway

Two worlds collide: the regulatory battlefield hanging over EU-China ties

One side crafts regulation out of fear that the other side’s rules may expose its vulnerabilities.

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Spain

How can China best profit from Trump’s latest rift with traditional US allies?

The US president’s decision to pull troops out of Germany and threats to do the same to Spain and Italy are the latest rift within Nato.

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Asian diaspora

Being Chinese | 3 months in China became 10 years. Here’s why I stayed

My three-month China stint grew to 10 years, as predictability disappeared from my work around UK-China, EU-China and US-China relations.

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Chinese traffic police officers walk by a US flag on an embassy car outside a hotel in Shanghai on July 30, 2019, as officials from both sides met for talks aimed at ending a tariff war. Photo: AP
China economy

Outside In | China’s manufacturing rise is here to stay. The West must recalibrate

The changes are structural and protectionism will only weaken long-term growth.

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Robots work on production lines at a mould and stamping company in Fuzhou, in China’s eastern Fujian province, on April 16. Photo: AFP
European Union

Opinion | A new framework may be the only way to save China-EU trade

Both sides have every incentive to explore a deal that does what blunt protectionism cannot: manage the complexities of their interdependence.

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European Union

Opinion | Facing US and Chinese pressure, the EU must forge its own strategy

To remain competitive, Brussels must leverage its market power to engage Beijing – while aligning with Washington on its own terms.

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SCMP Exclusives

Exclusive | Un-sanctioned: China to welcome Dutch trade minister amid Nexperia, ASML discord

Source says Beijing has quietly dropped an old sanctioning of Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, who recently spoke of wanting to lead a Dutch trade mission to China.

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Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, the Dutch trade minister, is interviewed in The Hague, Netherlands, on April 10. Photo: EPA
Transport and logistics

Opinion | Middle East shipping crisis elevates China-Europe railway’s profile

Geopolitical strife has taken the China-Europe railway from an alternative to an essential part of continental connectivity.

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A China-Europe goods train departs from Tongjiang, Heilongjiang province, on December 9, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Mainland China

China warns EU to remove firms and citizens from Russian sanctions list

Commerce ministry said Brussels would ‘bear the consequences’ after 27 mainland and Hong Kong firms were added to the latest blacklist.

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Spain

Opinion | Why Spain’s ‘fruit bowl’ diplomacy with China comes up rather empty

Spain is a secondary actor within a middle-ranking bloc dealing with a major power. Diplomacy can soften but not change that asymmetry.

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